


they strike to kill, and you know i will

by mayfjelds



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Murder, Past Sexual Assault, Post-Prison Spencer Reid, but u can imagine she is one if u want, i lied she's an oc not a reader insert, i'm a filthy liar!, it's also not really a romance/ship fic, sorta - Freeform, unsub!reader - Freeform, very quick reference to spencers trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayfjelds/pseuds/mayfjelds
Summary: socialite turned serial killer lola bridgers isn't a psychopath, no matter how much she tries to convince everyone she is.(aka: yet another female serial killer makes some points)
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid & Reader, Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. zero

**‘City of Angels’ Director Ray Newman found dead at 67**

> “Ray Newman was reported dead as of 2PM today. As of right now, no further details have been realeased…”
> 
> * * *

**Ray Newman’s death now ruled a homicide**

> “LAPD insider reveals they are investigating director Ray Newman’s unexpected death as a homicide…”
> 
> * * *

**Movie producer Patrick Holder found dead**

> “Two-time Oscar-winning movie producer Patrick Holder was found shot in his Hollywood home last night…”
> 
> * * *

**Are Patrick Holder and Ray Newman’s death related?**

> “Two high-profile Hollywood superstars, Ray Newman and Patrick Holder, were shot within the last 3 days. Could the two deaths be related? Read more at…”
> 
> * * *

**Hugh Strickland found murdered at 64**

> “Yet another Hollywood power-player was shot last night. Producer Hugh Strickland was shot in the head yesterday. His boy was discovered by his son…”
> 
> * * *

**LAPD announce director Dan Ramerio is the newest victim of the Hollywood murderer**

> “LAPD Lieutenant Own Kim held a press conference earlier today to address the recent Hollywood murders…”
> 
> * * *

**Everything we know about Hollywood’s newest serial killer**

> “Hollywood has a new serial killer that’s targeting the film industry’s biggest, most powerful players. Here’s what we know so far…”
> 
> * * *

**Anastasia Rowen mourns husband Jeffrey Rowen’s death and announces her pregnancy on Instagram.**

> “Anastasia Rowen writes a heartbreaking Instagram post announcing her husband, Jeffrey Rowen’s, death, and surprise pregnancy…”
> 
> * * *

**‘Queen’s Talk’ director Ziv Thorley found dead at 59**

> "Ziv Thorley is reported to be the sixth victim of the Hollywood serial killer. For more updates on the case see _Everything we know about Hollywood's newest serial killer_..."
> 
>   
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> ****Maggie and Patrick Bridgers daughter, Lola Bridgers, arrested for the murders of Ray Newman, Hugh Strickland, Dan Ramerio, Jeffrey Rowen, and Ziv Thorley** **
> 
> "The Hollywood murders have finally been put to rest with the arrest of Lola Bridgers, daughter of actors Maggie and Patrick Bridgers. As of right now they, along with their youngest daughter, have yet to comment on her arrest..."
> 
> * * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so when i originally wrote this it was on a doc, where i could /better/ format the story. anyways in case this is confusing, these are supposed to be news headlines reporting on the murders and such. 
> 
> thank u for reading :)


	2. chapter one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's not that the bau Likes the new hollywood serial killer, they just Really wanna get on the case.
> 
> it's just super interesting okay!

Lola Bridgers was a media frenzy.

Being the daughter of Oscar-nominated actors already put Lola in a spotlight she never wanted to be in. Add being accused of murdering 6 people, including some of her parents’ co-workers, blew her status from C-list Instagram star to household name within a week.

Despite the fact that she killed 6 people, her reign ran relatively quickly. She killed all 6 men in the span of one month, and was suspected as a person of interest a week after her last murder. In fact, the investigation went so smoothly, the BAU was never actually called. The LAPD had Lola arrested and in custody by the two month anniversary of her first kill.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t catch the BAU’s eye.

As soon as they heard the news of renowned director Ray Newman’s homicide, SSA David Rossi and BAU Unit Chief Emily Prentiss’ interest were immediately piqued. By the time that Patrick Holder’s body was found, and the murders were linked, the two agents were secretly hoping the next case Penelope Garcia brought in was the Hollywood murders. It never was.

However, that did not hinder their own personal curiosity. In between their own cases, Rossi developed a makeshift profile of the killer in case the BAU was ever called. Fellow agents Jennifer Jareau and Dr. Tara Lewis openly gossiped about the murders over their morning coffee. The self-proclaimed technophobe, Dr. Spencer Reid even discreetly checked news tabloids for updates on the case.

It was an interesting case, and the entirety of America agreed. There was something so incredibly fascinating about these powerful men being murdered, though none of the team could really put a finger on it. They assumed it was because they hadn’t seen a celebrity serial killer in a while.

Then, after a little over a month of radio silence from the Los Angeles Police Department, TMZ reports that they have arrested 23-year old Lola Bridgers for the murders. Upon hearing the news, Rossi admits he believed the unsub would be a woman (although he profiled the woman to be in her early forties.) The not-so-young-anymore Dr. Reid admitted he too had his suspicions of a female serial killer, and Prentiss nodded in agreement.

As that week went on, Lola admitted to the murders, and they set her court date for the end of the month. CNN announced they were recording the trial for all of America to see, and NBC even promised an inside-scoop from Bridgers herself. The entire family had made a statement condemning Lola’s actions, and canceled the premiere of the couple’s new movie featuring a cameo of their infamous daughter.

The team had finally started to loosen their grip on the case, giving up on any possibility to contribute their expertise. After JJ expressed her distraught over the Hollywood murders, Emily tells her they cannot dwell on a solved case that they were never apart of, not when there are more killers to catch. But just when the team got over it, Penelope truffled into the bullpen with a characteristic smile and a new case.

And although it was off-putting to smile about a serial killer, none of them could help the excitement that spread across their faces when Penelope announced that the LAPD wanted the BAU’s help on the Hollywood murders.

“Why do they want our help? They already found the unsub.” Spencer asked.

“Lola Bridgers has still not given them a motive, and with the pressure the media is putting them under, they need as much information as possible before the trial.” Penelope explained while Emily waved the team to the conference room for their obligatory pre-case briefing.

After reiterating the information everyone already knew, Garcia handed out the confidential case file to her teammates.

And she was not exaggerating when she said that all the LAPD needed was a motive. Every other aspect of Lola’s crimes were fully reported; murder weapon, M.O., hell, they even had a hand-written confession detailing every single murder, but no motive. They had so much on Lola that there was practically no need to get a motive, the prosecutor could easily state Lola was a high-functioning sociopath that snapped. However, the team knew this was much more peculiar than that. What caused a normal 20 something socialite to start killing people?

The BAU loved catching serial killers and saving lives, but the psychological aspect of crime-fighting always held a special place in each of their hearts, especially Spencer Reid’s. 

Although Spencer had been a part of the FBI for over 10 years now, and he endured things like multiple kidnappings, multiple shootings, a crippling drug addiction, and jail, he was not a brawny, kick-doors-down, glorified cop. He’s an academic, a scientist, a researcher; He lived for answering all the questions everybody could ask about serial killers. 

Plus, being Dr. Spencer Reid instead of SSA Spencer Reid proved to be a lot less stressful.

Because of the time constraint and overall job limitation, Emily made the executive decision to only send Rossi and Reid to LA. They were by far the best pair of interrogators the BAU currently had, and they also happened to be the two that were most invested within the case from the beginning. With their shared interest, and individual wisdom and intellect (and Reid’s strange ability to connect with female unsubs,) Emily had complete faith her old friends would crack Lola quickly and be back by the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if y'all wanna see more :P


	3. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spencer and rossi get to la.
> 
> featuring spencer's opinions on how the city of los angeles spends their money and rossi trying his hardest to believe that spencer is okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little more 3rd person limited than the others, mostly bc i hate the lapd so i made spencer hate it too! 
> 
> hope y'all enjoy :D

The two profilers landed in LA and wasted no time making their way to the police station. Garcia told them to get in and get out of there as quickly as possible, as to not alert the media of the FBI’s presence in the case.

As they drove closer to the station, Spencer started to re-recognize the LA streets from the last time they were here- the Lila Archer case. He shivered at the memory, still embarrassed from how immature his schoolboy-crush was on her. Of course, he’s over it now; it’s been over 10 years, and their “relationship” didn’t last past a couple weeks of sporadic texting. However, it still meant a lot to him, she was the first girl who ever showed any sort of interest in him.

Spencer shook off the bittersweet memory and snapped back to reality. He looked out the window to find their car in standstill traffic, the road blocked by huge crowds of news vans and reporters. They were about a block away from the station, if he remembered correctly (which he always does). Rossi sighed and told the driver they’d walk the rest of their way to the station. 

Rossi and Reid climbed out of the car into the southern Californian heat and braced themselves for the sweatiest walk of their life. While strategically avoiding nosy reporters and up-and-coming true-crime podcast hosts, they managed to get to the front doors of the police station completely unnoticed. They quickly shuffled in, audibly relieved at the feeling of the cool AC.

Even through a minor heat stroke, Spencer couldn’t help but notice the obvious architectural changes the LAPD Headquarters has made since he was last here. Sure he had already read about the station’s makeover, (because of course he did) but seeing it in person was a different story. The entire building was completely remodeled and heavily modernized. Instead of the old fashioned, dark style they had before, the new building was now illuminated by stark white LED light bulbs that made him feel like it was in a high school from 2050.

Honestly, it wasn’t that impressive of a remodel. And if Spencer was dumber, he’d assume it was a lot of hard work paid off to renovate the outdated accommodations. But Spencer also knows that the city of Los Angeles spends over $1.7 billion dollars on the police department, so he shouldn’t be surprised they get a fancy new building too.

Fervent political opinions aside, it didn’t take long for the security to start bamboozling the two unfamiliar men standing at the front of the police station. Before said officers could even get a word out, Rossi and Reid quickly flashed them their badges and for directions to the chief’s office. The men incoherently grumbled and returned back to their original guard-dog positions.

Lucky for them, not even 5 seconds later, the already-acquainted Lieutenant Owen Kim came from the hallway and greeted the profilers.

“Agents!” Kim exclaimed, gathering their attention. “Walk with me.” Kim began quickly walking back down the hallway, Rossi and Reid now following on either side.

“Nice to see you again  _ Lieutenant  _ Kim.” Rossi greeted, emphasizing Kim’s new promotion.

“Thank you, Agent Rossi, Dr. Reid,” Kim nodded towards Spencer, “although I can’t say I’m  _ glad _ to see you again under these circumstances, I’m happy to have the BAU’s help.”

“We’re happy to help,” Spencer responded.

“To be honest, Kim, we were all kind of hoping you would call us,” Rossi said. “This case is fascinating.”

The three men eventually made their way into the LAPD’s new and improved communal office space. It was just as busy and hectic as any other police department the BAU walked into, except this one was about $500k more expensive. 

“Yeah, that’s one word for it.” Kim sighed, running his hand through his hair and leading them to his desk.

“What do you mean?” Rossi asked.

“It’s just...weird,” the lieutenant began, “it’s hard to wrap my head around-  _ all _ of our heads around.” Kim handed them both a copy of a (rather thin) file, presumably of Lola Bridgers. But before Spencer could take it and read it over, his mouth started moving with a mind of its own.

“Female serial killers are disproportionate and under-researched. Not to mention most of what the common person knows about them is extremely over-sensationalized, and usually hypersexualized as well. Since 1820, only 16% of reported serial killers are female. Adding onto the fact that Lola Bridgers is so young, it makes sense why it would be so jarring to see such a rare statistic-”

“What Reid means to say,” Rossi interrupted, taking the file Kim offered and ever-so-slightly shoving it into Reid’s hands, “is that this is obviously a very special case, and it’s understandable for everyone to be…  _ disturbed _ by it.”

“I understand.” Kim sighed. “I mean, the last time we saw a female serial killer was Maggie Lowe…. When was that? 12, 13 years ago?”

“Thirteen.” Reid corrected before he went on. “Prolifically, the main difference between male and female serial killers is motive. Men, if they have a motive at all, tend to have sexual-based motivation while women lean toward revenge, convenience, or attention and sympathy from loved ones.”

“So women kill people out of convenience? And to gain sympathy?”

“Black widow killers are most often grouped into those categories- killing husbands for insurance money, or because they don’t want to be married anymore. Then, after their husband is dead, they also get sympathy from their friends and family while grieving. ”

“So, you think she’s a sort-of black widow killer?” Kim asked.

“No,” Rossi answered. “But honestly, it’s hard to tell, her profile is sort of confusing.”

“Her preferred method of killing by shooting them in the head shows she’s emotionally distanced from her kills, but that doesn’t really add up with her MO.” Reid responds.

“How so?”

“She’s killing big Hollywood names- Ray Newman, Dan Ramerio,” Rossi trails off, “these are people in her and her family’s industry. Her parents have worked with some of the victims several times. It doesn’t make sense why she would choose such an emotionally detached routine for people she was obviously emotionally attached to.”

“Maybe it’s guilt?” Kim offered.

“You don’t kill 6 people in the span of one month and feel guilty about it. At least not without good reason.” Spencer mumbled the latter sentence, getting lost in his own thought.

“Do you guys have  _ any _ leads as to what her motive is?” Rossi asked.

“No. That’s why we called you here.” Kim sighed again and sat down, exhausting washing over his face. It was evident that this case was wearing him out, both physically and emotionally. And from the ambiance around them, it was safe to assume it was taking a toll on everyone else too.

Being on the other end of this exhaustion more times than they could count, they had no choice but to feel bad for them, regardless of their unfounded superiority complex and inflated paychecks.

“Sorry.” Kim started. “It’s just been a bad month. With  _ all _ the murders, the media up our ass, and now Lola suddenly refusing to tell us anything…”

“We’ve been there, Lieutenant, trust me.” Rossi assured. “We’ll get her.”

Kim gave him a weak smile. “Is there anything I can do for you guys?” 

“Actually-” Spencer responded, “could I interview Lola? No offense, but Agent Rossi and I have a lot more experience interviewing serial killers than your guys do, so we might have a better shot to getting information from h-”

“You don’t have to give me a reason, Dr. Reid, of course I can arrange you an interview,” Kim said. “I can call the jail right now and have her here by the end of the day.”

“Perfect, thank you.” Rossi nodded. “Do you mind if Reid and I talk alone real quick?”

Kim pointed back to the hallway. “There’s an empty conference room further down the hall, room 305.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Rossi smiled and walked away, Reid following him down the hall into the vacant room. Once they made it in, Rossi promptly shut the down, leaving the two of them alone.

“What?” Reid huffed, confused as to why his coworker seemed so exasperated.

“Do you really think it’s the best idea for you to interview Lola Bridgers?”

“Yes?” Spencer responded, confused by his question. “I’m a lot closer in her in age, you’ve said it a million times-”

“Yeah, Reid I know what I said.” Rossi waved him off. “I’m not talking about what’s best for the case, I’m talking about what’s best for  _ you. _ ”

“What’s best for me is what’s best for the case,” Spencer stated, bluntly.

“It’s only been 6 months since Cat Adams, I wanted to make sure that you’re  _ okay _ enough to do this.”

“I’m fine, Rossi.” Spencer fought the urge to grit his teeth.

“You know I’m not doing this to be an asshole, Reid, I’m doing it because I care about you. And Prentiss would fire me on the spot if I let you go in there alone.”

“I appreciate you caring,” Spencer smiled, “but I’m fine. Really.”

“Well then Reid,” Rossi half-smiled, “go kick some ass.” 

Spencer noticed the smile he gave him was hollow, indicating that Rossi didn’t really believe Spencer, at least not as much as he wanted to.

He couldn’t blame the older man, because, truthfully, Spencer didn’t really believe himself either. Spencer felt different about this case. Something about it was just so… off- and it made his brain itch. 

Maybe Rossi was right- maybe his brain just saw this girl as a surrogate for Cat, and that’s why he felt so weird about it. Maybe it was the fact that female serial killers were a faucet of the unknown, and his academic brain was hellbent on solving the puzzle. Maybe, deep down, he wanted to figure it out so he could prove to everyone that he could.

At this point, he didn’t care why. Reid was done with the overthought psychoanalysis and internal profiling he’s been doing to himself for the past 10 years. He just knew that he wanted to get his hands dirty, and like any good doctor, he wasn’t willing to give up until he got his answer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if we r gonna be honest here i haven't watched that lila archer episode in like a year and i didn't feel like rewatching just to write this so if kim's personality seems off i apologize.
> 
> you'll meet lola in the next chapter, i promise lol
> 
> also just realized lola and lila r one letter off and i Swear i didn't mean 2 do that i just like that song by the kinks akhkahsfk
> 
> thank u for reading <3 i'll try to get the last chapter up by/before christmas!


	4. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the one you've all been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all :P as excited i am for u to read this i wanna give a quick trigger warning. this chapter contains explicit references to sexual assault, specifically sexual assault to minors. albeit not Extremely detailed, it’s still important for me to let y’all know. if that could potentially trigger you Please Don’t Read!!!!!

“Hello, I’m Dr. Spencer Reid. I’m here to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay.” Spencer said as he sat himself at the table, swinging his satchel over his seat. Sitting opposite of Lola, he had the chance to get a good look at her and her slouched figure before talking. The younger girl didn’t look much different from the glamour shots the tabloids posted of her, aside from her chapped lips and much more pronounced under-eye bags. 

“Doctor? Are you here to give me a check-up?” Lola joked, her raspy voice cracking as she talked.

“I’m not that kind of doctor. I’m a Supervisory Special Agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.”

“Hm.” Lola hummed, “Why is the FBI here?”

“To get you talking.” Spencer admitted. “There are holes in your story that don’t make sense, we’re here to help.”

“We?” She asked.

“Me and my teammate.” He responded.

“Where’s your teammate?”

“If you don’t mind, Lola, I’m not really here to answer your questions, you’re here to answer mine-”

“Right.” Lola exhaled. “Ask away.”

“How did you know the victims?” He began, running his hands over the manilla folder.

“Don’t you already know the answer to that?” Lola rolled her eyes.

“I would like to hear it from you.”

“They’re famous, everyone knows them.” She huffed.

“How do you know them personally?”

“I worked with some of ‘em.” Lola mumbled. “My parents worked with some of ‘em, my little sister worked with some of ‘em, et cetera.”

“Can you tell me which ones worked with who?” Spencer asked, attempting to pry more information from her.

“Doc, it’s on IMDb. Look it up.”

“Do you not remember?”

“Not off the top of my head, no.”

“You were reported to be compliant with the other detectives,” Spencer said, “so why are you now suddenly so clandestine?”

“Same reason you got that haircut; I got bored and switched it up.”

Spencer chuckled. “Do you get bored easily?”

“Is that your super-sly way of asking me if I’m a sociopath? ‘Cause I think we both know the answer to that.”

“What makes you think you’re a sociopath?”

“I checked the symptoms on MayoClinic, most of ‘em checked out.”

Spencer paused before responding,“I think you’re pretty smart, Lola. Smarter than you let on”

“Not smart enough to get away with murder, apparently.” She joked. If he wasn’t actively interviewing her, he probably would’ve thought it was weirdly funny. 

After you work this job long enough, it severely fucks with your sense of humor.

“Well, when you kill 10 people, it’s hard to cover your tracks.”

“I’ll save that information for next time.” Lola gave him a smile. “Kidding.”

“Why did you kill them?” Spencer asked, redirecting their tangent.

“That’s the golden question-”

“Specifically, why did you kill Ray Newman and Patrick Holder?”

Lola pursed her lips in response, reverting from their previous eye contact. “What kind of doctor are you?”

“I told you, Lola, I’m not here to answer your questions.”

“Just curious. You seem to be pretty smart.”

“Was I right to assume Ray Newman and Patrick Holder’s deaths were related?”

“All of them were related. I killed all of them.”

“I’ve been at the BAU for over ten years, do you know how many serial killers I’ve seen that kill people for no reason?” Spencer asked, rhetorically. In reality, Spencer has seen quite a few motive-less serial killers, but Lola didn’t need to know that.

“Guess I’m just crazy, then.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Lola laughed, “I’m not a psychologist or anything, but I’m pretty sure sane people don’t kill people, Mr. FBI.”

“Doctor,” he corrected, “and that’s not true.”

“My apologies,” she quipped, “why do you say that?”

“I’ve killed people, and I’m not a sociopath.”

“Sure about that?”

“Positive.” Spencer assured.

“I don’t really know what you want me to say, Doc.”

“Why don’t you want to tell me the reason you killed them?” Spencer asked.

“I don’t have one.”

“That’s not true.”

Lola paused before responding, “it doesn’t matter.”

“It actually does matter. A lot.”

“Why? Nothing I say will change the fact that I killed them, Dr. Reid.” She argued.

“Honestly, you’re probably right,” Spencer admitted. “You telling me will probably not change the outcome, at least legally. But it might help people understand why you did what you did-”

“I don’t care if people understand.” 

“- or it might help the BAU’s research on female serial killers.”

“And end up in an Intro to Criminology textbook in ten years? I’m good.”

Spencer paused, thinking about her answer. Maybe it’s not for attention.

“Do you think your parents favor your little sister?”

“No?”

“Do you think your parents prioritize their jobs over you or your sister?”

“No!” She exclaimed. “My parents have nothing to do with this.”

“Does the high profile status of this case bother you?”

“Yeah.” She admitted, “a little.” 

Okay, definitely not for attention.

Then, Spencer paused again. He wasn’t really going anywhere with this interrogation, and they were racing the clock. Spencer began reanalyzing her answers again, rewatching her through his eidetic memory like a movie, trying to catch her facade slipping.

After a few moments, he got the idea to try a different approach.

“You know what I think, Lola? I think you like answering my questions.”

“You caught me.” Lola snorted. “I actually did all this just to talk to you in this dingy room for an hour.”

Spencer ignored her and went on. “I think you like answering my questions because you want me to find out why you did it. I think keeping all of this inside of you is killing you. I think every time I get a step closer to figuring you out you’re glad, because the you’re one step closer to freeing yourself from your own insanity.”

Lola nervous gulped in response

“Am I right?”

Lola continued her silent treatment towards the doctor for a few more seconds before responding.

“Wanna make a deal?”

“A deal? With you?” Spencer raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the deal?” He asked, intriguingly.

“I’ll promise to tell you everything you wanna know if you tell all of them to leave.” She nodded towards the mirror.

“Okay.” Spencer agrees. “I can do that.” He’s never seen such a minuscule request from a serial killer. They usually ask for a plea deal- or a plane and ten thousand dollars.

“Even your teammate.” She added.

“Okay.” Spencer turned toward the two-way mirror and nodded, signaling Kim and Rossi to leave.

“Check to make sure they’re gone.”

Spencer got up to open the connecting door. Rossi stood in the corner, out of Lola’s view of the room.

You got this, kid? Rossi mouthed.

Spencer responded with a small nod and watched Rossi quietly leave the room, leaving the two completely alone.

“No one is there.” Spencer almost closed the door before Lola shouted again.

“And turn it off.”

“Turn what off?” He asked.

“Turn off whatever you’re using to record this conversation.”

Spencer’s eye immediately moved to the camera in the middle of the room. He sighed and walked over, his hand hovering hesitantly over the red button. For a moment, he thought about the consequences of Lola’s demand. Of course she’d be smart enough to think of the camera recording the entire interrogation- he knew her initial request was too easy.

He could lie and say he stopped the recording when he didn’t, but, for some reason, Spencer feels like he owes it to her to keep his end of the deal. Serial killer or not, Spencer was a noble man.

Before he could further overthink it, he turned the recording off and deleted the previous footage of Lola’s interrogation.

“This would be considered an obstruction of justice.” He sighed and closed the door to the observation room and turned back toward Lola.

“Doc, I’ve killed people, I don’t give a fuck about obstruction of justice.”

“Yeah I figured.” Spencer sat back down.“ But I am putting my job on the line for you, Lola. Promise you’ll make it count?” 

“Promise.”

“How did you know Ray Newman?”

She let out a long, slow breath. “Ray Newman was a good friend of my dad’s. He’d come over to my house every Sunday for brunch ever since I’ve been alive.”

“So you were close with him growing up?” *

“Sure, but not in a good way.”

“What do you mean?” He inquired, tilting his head in curiosity. He’s worked this job long enough, though, and he had a good idea he knew what was coming.

“Sometimes, when he’d come over he-” she paused, looking for the right words, “touch me.”

He sighed in response, releasing a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. After being locked away with only his thoughts to keep him company, Spencer learned a lot of things about himself. Most notably, he learned how far his human empathy could stretch before he started seeing victims as unsubs. 

For pedophiles, the stretch is nonexistent.

“And he kept doing it,” she continued, “from when I was 8, until I turned 13.”

“He stopped?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever tell your parents?”

“No… I was just a kid, I didn’t understand.”

“What about when you grew up?”

“No.” She mumbled. “I tried to block it out of my memory for most of my teenage years. I thought if I tried to forget it, it would be like it never happened, y’know?”

Spencer nodded. “A lot of young victims of sexual abuse don’t come forward until years later, it’s the most underreported crime. Did you ever tell anyone?”

“No.”

“What about Patrick Holder? How did you know him?”

“We went to his house every year for his Christmas parties.”

Her tone of voice gave Spencer deja vu. “Did anything ever happen at the Christmas parties?”

“I was 16, my parents were mingling, and my sister was with the other young kids, so I was alone and bored out of my mind. I was wandering around upstairs, and I ran into Patrick. He asked me what I was doing, so I told him I was tired. He brought me to his room so I could lie down and gave me a glass of wine to ‘wake me up.’ My parents never let me drink before, so I drank the whole thing.- and then another one and another one. Next thing I know, I’m drunk, and he lays down next to me and starts taking off his pants and…” She trailed off, letting Spencer fill in the blanks.

“I got it.” Spencer said. AT this point, it seemed to him that Lola was a sort of revenge-killer, which was a theory that Rossi suggested on the plane ride over. But when he brought the idea up, Spencer didn’t really believe it. Most revenge murders are known for being violent, especially involving victims killing their abusers, but just these weren’t. 

Lola killed all these men with a simple shot to the head, a quick and painless death. And sure, a headshot is inherently pretty violent, but compared to the other revenge killer’s Spencer has seen over the years, Lola’s murders were almost boring. Nothing from the crime scenes and autopsy reports suggested any form of torture, pre- or post-mordem. Lola, according to her confession, barely stayed at the scenes long enough to admire her work. And lastly, she only touched 2 of the victims (which is how Spencer came to the conclusion that she knew Newman and Holder the best.)

All of these signs point to a remorseful killer, certainly not a vengeful one.

So why did she kill them?

Spencer’s train of thought was interrupted by Lola clearing her throat, bringing his attention back to her before she continued. 

“When I was 18 I was on set on one of my dad’s movies, and this girl I worked with, Olivia, always asked me to walk her to her dressing room. It was kind of annoying, honestly, so one day I asked her why. She told me that the producer, Hugh Strickland, assaulted her when she was 14.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t tell anyone on set, either?”

“No point. No one would believe her.”

Spencer couldn’t really argue with that, so he didn’t even try.

“It only got worse as I got older. Every year I’d meet a new girl with the same-different story. Dan Ramerio told one girl to strip naked at an audition when she was 15. Jeffrey Rowen would invite pubescent Disney Channel stars to his house for parties and molest them after he got them drunk. Ziv Thorley would rape girls and bribe them with jobs and roles to keep them quiet.” Lola grit her teeth, anger dripping out of her mouth from her every word.

“At first I could handle it- I practically became desensitized to it at all. I could handle it until it was my sister.”

“What happened to-”

“Last Christmas she um-” Lola’s voice wavered, but she continued. “She came home from Patrick’s Christmas party crying her eyes out. I knew what was wrong as soon as she walked through the door, but I begged her to talk to me about it anyways.”

“Patrick did the same thing to her that he did to you?”

She nodded. “But that wasn't all. After she told me about Patrick, she told me that Ray did the same thing to her, too.” Tears started slowly pouring out of her eyes, but she wiped them away and continued. “He started when she turned 8, 6 months after he stopped doing it to me. I got too old for him, so he moved on to my little sister.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Yeah.” Lola agreed. “After that day I wrote down a list of every rapist and pedophile I knew in Hollywood, and the next month, I killed all of them.”

“You didn’t want revenge… you wanted peace.” Spencer finally concluded. The younger girl nodded in response.

“Have you told your lawyer any of this?” Spencer asked her.

“No.”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t change anything.”

“Are you being serious, Lola?” Spencer asked. “That changes everything.”

“No it doesn’t. I still killed them. I’ll still get charged with murder.”

“Yeah but, it could change your sentencing. You might be able to get parole, or avoid the death sentence, or at the very least let the world know who those men really were-”

“Doc, with all do respect, that won’t do shit. Even if I do say anything, all it will do is start another investigation. Then, I’ll have to go up to a judge with no evidence and try to prove that these dead guys are guilty. Then, I’ll have to name-drop every single girl I’ve ever met in this industry and drag them into an investigation they have nothing to do with. Then, regardless of whether or not I win the case, all those girls will probably get black-balled because news flash every old man in Hollywood is either a rapist, or is friends with a rapist.

And then, let’s say I win, then what? Now, Ray Newman’s son not only has to cope with his death, but now he has to have to live with the fact that his dad is a pedophile. Anastasia Rowen has to go to sleep every night knowing she’s carrying the child of a man who serial raped child stars. What the fuck is that gonna do for anyone?”

It was the second time that day Lola made Spencer speechless. And god he hated to admit it, but she was right, telling the truth wouldn’t change anything. The only thing it would do is make 65% of the general public boycott a couple old movies that didn’t even play at theatres anymore. Maybe a big-name actress will start a charity for victims of sexual abuse, or maybe The Academy would renounce their accolades. And sure, those things are good, but are they worth those peoples’ inevitable life-long trauma? 

“Ray, Patrick- none of them can hurt anyone anymore. The only way their terror could continue is if I let all those girls’ nightmares get written on their Wikipedia page.” Another tear fell, but this time, she didn’t bother wiping it away. She let it roll down her cheek, relishing in the warmth it gave her. Spencer recognized this, it was the same thing he did in prison. It reminded him he was human.

“You… You killed six people, Lola. Six well-respected celebrities. Unless that judge knows better, you’re getting a death sentence, you know that right?”

“I knew exactly what I was getting into as soon as I started this. I dug my grave, and I am prepared to lie in it until the day I die.” She looked back up at him, her eyes even sadder than before.

By this point, Spencer knew he was in a stalemate. There was nothing he could say that could change her mind, and honestly, there was a small, fucked up part of him that understood it.

“Then I guess we’re done here.” Spencer sighed and slowly got up, extending his hand to her.

“Didn’t take you as a hand-shaker.” She reluctantly reached out to grab his hand in front of her face.

“I’m not,” Spencer said, honestly. “But I’m sticking to our deal.” She nodded and shook his hand.

Spencer dropped her hand and turned around to walk out the door, he was about to turn the handle before he heard her speak again. 

“Spencer,” she called him, “Thank you. You were right, it was killing me.”

He shook his head and offered a quiet, “You’re welcome,” and silently walked out the room, leaving Lola alone.

-

Upon leaving the interrogation room, Spencer immediately saw Rossi in the hallway, waiting for him to finish the interview.

“How’d it go in there, Reid?” Rossi asked.

“Good.” Spencer breathed. “As good as it can go?”

“What’d you find out, Dr. Reid?” Lieutenant Kim poked his head out from around the corner.

“Nothing special. Just liked the feeling of blood on her hands.” Spencer lied, ignoring Rossi’s eyebrows furrow in his peripheral vision. 

“That’s it?” Kim sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Why wouldn’t she say that before?”

“She just wanted to play a game, one last hurrah before the trial.”

“Hm.” Rossi hummed.

“Well, I’m sorry I wasted your time, I thought it’s more interesting than that.” Kim apologized before he was called over by another detective. “Thank you for your help, anyways.” He added before walking towards the detective and out of their conversation.

“Just liked the feeling of blood on her hands, huh?” Rossi asked as he and Spencer walked towards the exit doors of the station.

“Yeah, something like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u guys for reading, hope y'all r satisfied :)


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